Support After Hospital Discharge: What the Health Insurance Fund’s Mental Health Data Analysis Revealed
It is important for people to receive support not only when their mental health problems worsen, but also after completing hospital treatment. An analysis conducted by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) shows that patients who maintain contact with mental health specialists are less likely to be readmitted to hospital.
Data from more than 112,500 working-age people who received mental healthcare services in 2022–2024 were analysed. During this period, more than 1.6 million patient contacts with healthcare professionals were recorded. Although the vast majority of visits were outpatient consultations, nearly one-quarter of patients had also received inpatient treatment at least once.
The analysis showed that the first few weeks after hospital discharge are particularly important. “We can see a clear trend: patients who contacted mental health specialists at least once shortly after being discharged from hospital were less likely to be readmitted. This highlights the importance of providing support not only during the acute phase, but also ensuring continuity of care as people return to their everyday lives,” says Jelena Aidukienė, Chief Specialist at the Data and Analysis Division of the National Health Insurance Fund.
Nevertheless, only approximately one in five patients had contact with mental health specialists during the first week after discharge, while just over half did so within three months. This indicates that some patients do not resume contact with mental health specialists immediately after completing hospital treatment.
According to J. Aidukienė, particular attention should be paid to the group of patients who did not use outpatient mental health services at all.
“We identified a group of patients who had not attended a single outpatient appointment with mental health specialists over a three-year period. For these people, the hospital was the only place where they received specialised mental healthcare. This means that some people come to the attention of specialists only when their condition deteriorates significantly and hospital treatment becomes necessary,” says the NHIF specialist.
Differences were also observed between men and women in their use of mental health services. Men were more likely to be hospitalised, while women made greater use of outpatient services. One possible explanation is that men are less likely to seek help in the earlier stages of illness.
According to the analysis, frequent visits to mental health specialists do not always indicate a better situation. In some cases, particularly intensive use of outpatient services before hospitalisation may instead reflect a deterioration in the patient’s condition and an increasing need for support. Nevertheless, even a single visit to a specialist after hospital treatment is directly associated with a lower likelihood of readmission to hospital.
“World Mental Health Day reminds us that mental health is just as important as physical health. This analysis has once again confirmed that people should not be left without support after hospital treatment. Re-establishing contact with specialists in a timely manner increases the likelihood of avoiding another crisis and readmission to hospital,” says J. Aidukienė.
Community-based mental health services are already being strengthened in Lithuania, and measures are being introduced to ensure continuity of care after hospital treatment. The NHIF analysis provides a clearer picture of patients’ pathways through the healthcare system and helps identify areas where continuity of care could be further improved.
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